Margaret (Klassen) Friesen

Margaret Baerg Klassen Friesen was born to John W. and Margaretha Baerg Klassen on August 28, 1926, at Swalwell, Alberta.  On December 14, 2017, she passed away after a short stay in the hospital due to declining health.  She reached the age of ninety-one years.  Mom was baptized into the Church of God in Christ, Mennonite on May 13, 1940. She held her Faith dear to the end, showing us what God’s unconditional Love really is.  At seven months of age, she lost her Mother to illness and was left to be raised by her Father and older siblings, with her sister Kay being her primary caregiver.  She spent her childhood in the area of Steinbach, Manitoba.  She often reminisced about going to school, herding cattle and adventures with the neighbor Wiebe children, such as drowning gophers in the pasture. She would tell us of Bruce and Barney, a team of horses her dad owned, and of how she had earned enough money to be able to buy her own bicycle. 

 Adulthood brought work experiences of hours in the fields, topping beets.  Fondly she recalled working in a cannery in Ontario and of taking a sewing course which we later benefitted from, making us beautiful clothes to wear.  Mom also worked at Ravenscourt, a private boys’ school in Winnipeg, Manitoba, where she was the cook’s helper, and with her great cooking talents, she became head cook.

 Mom married Dad, Daniel Friesen, on September 24, 1950. They lived in the Steinbach area for several years after they were married and worked together on their dairy farm and electrical business. They started their family by adopting four children and fostering a young man.  In the spring of 1962 they moved to Grandview, Manitoba-their ambition-and created the home place on farmland in the area.  Here they added four more children through adoption to their family, and they also fostered three children. They enjoyed twenty-four years of happy marriage together, raising their children and growing seed grain. The light in Mom’s eyes dimmed when Dad passed away too soon, leaving her alone with eight children to raise and a farm to tend to.  She continued on stoically being a Mother in our home, while depending much on the older children.  She often mentioned she could not have carried on without the help and support of others that was offered at that time and through the years. Her heart’s concern was that her children would meet her in Heaven.  Mom was ever the hospitable lady, even though she was a woman of few words.  She loved children dearly-nothing pleased her more than little ones around her knee or on her lap. 

 She moved to the Mountain View Apartments in Grandview where she enjoyed a few short years before her health began to decline. No longer able to be cared for in her home, she moved to the Maplewood Manor in Steinbach.  Here she enjoyed tender loving care from the staff for one and a half years, but she longed to return to her children and home, so she moved to the Grandview Personal Care Home.  Always positive and gracious, she would often express thankfulness about the good care she received.  She lived here for another one and a half years.  Her health further declined, and she was hospitalized in Grandview. We soon saw she would not overcome her failing health. With aching hearts, we said goodbye. She passed away in the early morning hours, with her daughter Kathy holding her hand.  We are assured she awoke to a sunrise in Heaven.

 Those left to cherish fond memories are Murray and Marilyn of Grandview, Manitoba; Ethel and Milfred Penner of Grandview, Manitoba; Kathy Fendick of Grandview, Manitoba; Kenneth of Grandview, Manitoba; Larry and companion Sharon of Grandview, Manitoba; Coreen and Mike Regehr of Linden, Alberta; Carol and companion Stephen of Gilbert Plains, Manitoba; Shirley and Woody Fast of Hazel, Kentucky; seventeen grandchildren, ten great-grandchildren; brothers and sisters in-law, Alphae and Alba Friesen, Lawrence and Wilma Friesen, Martha Friesen, Ervin and Norma Friesen, Denton and Diana Friesen, Doris and Denver Wiebe, and close friends, Johnny and Naomi Penner.  

 Loved ones gone before are her dear husband, her parents,  parents-in-law, three brothers, four sisters, one brother-in-law,  four sisters-in-law, one angel baby grandchild and two angel  baby great-grandchildren.  

The family wishes to express thanks to all the staff who cared for our Mom at the Grandview PCH, the Grandview Hospital, and the Maplewood Manor.  
We appreciate all the prayers, encouragement, cards, and the sympathy we have received at the time of Mom’s passing.

Funeral Service was held on Wednesday, December 20, 2017 at 10:30 am from The Church of God in Christ Mennonite Church in Grandview, MB with Froese Rodney officiating.  Interment followed in Grandview Mennonite Cemetery in Grandview, .MB.  

Should friends so desire, donations in memory of Margaret may be made to the Heart & Stroke Foundation of MB (Dauphin Chapter) Box 392, Dauphin, MB, R7N 2V4 or to the Grandview Hospital - Palliative Care Unit Box 339 , Grandview, MB, R0L 0Y0.

 Service Information